


Dead Space

by bluemoonmaverick



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Horror, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-22
Updated: 2014-05-25
Packaged: 2018-01-26 04:31:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1674785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemoonmaverick/pseuds/bluemoonmaverick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Halloween, and SG-1's latest mission has taken a turn for the terrifying.  Yet something about it is strangely...familiar.  A short and scary teamfic, with a dash of S/J ship.</p>
<p>Originally published October 29, 2012.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sam walked into the gate room and noticed immediately that her commanding officer was already there waiting, tapping his foot on the metal grating of the ramp. Not a good sign, she thought to herself. Jack had little patience for diplomatic missions, and the peaceful, agrarian society they were visiting today promised little chance for excitement.

Daniel had yet to make an appearance, but Teal'c was present, as was all of SG-13, which currently consisted of Colonel Dave Dixon, Lieutenant Colonel Tom Balinsky, Major Candace Clark, and Airman Simon Wells. Though Jack thought it completely unnecessary, Hammond had insisted that they bring the other team along. The unit had been through the wringer on their last trip through the 'gate, with Clark and Balinsky both winding up in the infirmary. She assumed Hammond was giving them this cakewalk to ease them back to full mission readiness, as well as to quash the quickly spreading rumors that the team truly was unlucky.

Dave Dixon grinned at his fellow colonel. "Anxious much, Jack?"

"The sooner we can get this snooze of a mission over, the happier I'll be," he replied.

"Yeah, well, let's not move too quickly. I'm hoping this little excursion gets me out of trick or treat duty tonight."

Sam had completely forgotten that it was Halloween. But then, she rarely remembered most holidays, since she didn't have kids to keep her accountable.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "I do not understand the purpose of allowing children to threaten their neighbors with vandalism and other nefarious activity in the hope of procuring confections."

Sam was about to respond, when she was cut off by Daniel, who had just entered the 'gate room. "Actually, Teal'c, the custom dates back to..."

"It's fun," interrupted Jack. "Nice of you to join us," he added for Daniel's benefit. "Walter, dial us up!" he shouted toward the control room, ignoring the pointed look Daniel gave him.

The 'gate spun slowly, the familiar thunks followed quickly by a large kawoosh that ultimately resolved itself into the glowing, blue event horizon.

"Let's head out, kids." Jack motioned for the group to follow him, then walked straight into the wormhole. Sam watched as SG-13 and Daniel followed, she and Teal'c bringing up the rear. She smiled as she stepped into the event horizon and thought, not for the first time, how fortunate she was that she was able to travel the galaxy in such a manner.

The moment she stepped out on the other side, however, Sam knew something had gone terribly wrong. Instead of the sunny, green planet she was expecting, she was surrounded by darkness. For one panicked moment, she thought she had emerged into the void of space.

She quickly realized that she was standing on solid ground, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw that she was surrounded by some sort of oily, black rock. It was cold, and as the event horizon winked out of existence, she noticed that there was no light other than that coming from the faint stars overhead. Sam shivered. Something about the planet felt wrong.

The absolute silence was shattered by Dixon's voice. "What the hell? Did Walter misdial?"

Jack activated the light on his P-90 and swept the immediate area, revealing still more black rock. "I don't know, but this place gives me the creeps." He pointed the light at the DHD. "Daniel, let's dial home. We'll double check our coordinates and try again."

The archeologist walked up to the DHD and began inputting the coordinates to Earth. However, when he punched the large orange crystal in the middle nothing happened. He tried to dial again, with no luck.

"This is not good," Dixon sang, summing up the situation succinctly.

"Carter?" Jack nodded toward Sam, and she got down on her hands and knees to open the panel on the bottom of the DHD, and Jack tried his best to keep his attention focused on the DHD rather than her all too perfect six.

Sam examined the control crystals, then replaced the panel and stood. "All of the crystals are present, and none appear to be damaged, sir."

"And yet, no love," replied Jack, with a wry smile. "Any ideas why it's not working?"

Sam pulled out the handheld sensor she had adapted from Asgard technology and began taking readings.

"New tricorder, Carter?" Her commanding officer gave her a smirk, which she returned in kind.

She turned slowly in a half circle. "There's an electro-magnetic signal of some kind being emitted from a source about ten klicks in that direction," she said, pointing away from the Stargate. "It's possible that it's interfering with the interface between the DHD and the 'gate."

Jack thought for a moment. "All right. No point hanging out here. Let's go check it out. Hopefully we can find it, disable it, and get home. If not, we'll regroup at the Stargate in 24 hours and wait for check-in. Hopefully, Hammond will realize the problem and start working it from his end, too."

The group headed in the direction of the signal, with Sam leading by use of her sensor and Jack providing lighting for their path. All military personnel likewise had their lights on and continuously swept their surroundings looking for potential danger. However, the light seemed to be absorbed by the rock, rather than bouncing off of it, which kept the group in relative darkness despite their substantial candlepower.

Fortunately, there was some sort of path that allowed them to navigate around the rock, rather than going over it. Sam, though, wasn't so sure this was a good thing. She was feeling increasingly claustrophobic, the larger rocks obstructing their view and preventing them from going in a straight line toward the source of the signal.

They had traveled about six klicks when suddenly the hairs on the back of Sam's neck began to rise. "Sir?" she asked.

"Yeah, I feel it, too, Carter," he replied, his eyes darting around their location.

"Hey!" Wells yelled. "I found something. Over here!"

Simon Wells stood at the entrance of a cave slightly elevated above their walkway. A faint green light emanated from deep inside. Finding a path, the others made their way to the opening.

"Think we should check it out?" the young airman asked, excitedly.

"No," replied Jack.

"Yes," responded Daniel at exactly the same time. Jack glared at him.

"Look," Daniel began. "We're here. We might as well figure out who else lives here. Exploration is supposed to be one of our goals."

Jack sighed. "Carter, any chance that signal is coming from inside of the cave?"

"No, sir," she responded. "However, I am getting some strange readings from in there. I think it's worth a look, sir."

Jack rubbed his hands over his face and head, making his hair stick out in all directions. Sam smiled to herself. She loved it when he did that. The look reminded her of an overgrown schoolboy. She found it charming, though she knew that was the last thing she was supposed to think of her commanding officer.

"Okay. I don't like it, but if you all are so dead set on seeing what's in the scary cave, far be in for me to stand in your way. Wells and Clark, you're with Daniel, Carter, and me. Teal'c, Dixon, and Balinsky, you hold the entrance. Let us know if you see any sign of trouble."

"I believe this entire planet is a potential source of trouble, O'Neill," Teal'c deadpanned.

"Right," Jack replied. "Just let us know if you see anything new, then." The Jaffa inclined his head toward Jack.

Jack shined the light on his P-90 into the cave. "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go." And with that he walked into the narrow entrance of the cave, the others close on his heels.

They hadn't walked more than a few dozen feet when something blipped on Sam's sensor. "Sir, I'm getting life signs. They're faint but straight ahead, another 500 feet."

Sure enough, the glowing green light became brighter the deeper they went into the cave. When they rounded the corner, Sam had to stifle a gasp. In front of her were row after row of what appeared to be giant egg cases, a sickly green light coming from each. Thousands lined the walls of the cave.

"What the hell are those things?" mumbled Clark.

"More importantly, what do you think laid them, and is it still around?" Jack began sweeping the cave with his light.

Wells had approached the nearest egg case and was examining it closely. "Hey, guys. They're transparent! I can see something moving in here." With that, he began tapping the egg with the tip of his P-90.

Daniel sprung toward the young officer. "No, Simon! Wait! Don't!"

But it was too late. The tapping quickly turned into a cracking sound, as the egg began breaking apart. Against all reason, Wells leaned in for a closer look. "This is amazing," he whispered.

Without warning, the egg casing shattered, and with an unearthly screech something large, gooey, and very much alive sprung forward and immediately attached itself to Wells' face. The airman began screaming and grasping at the creature that was now wrapped around his head.

"Shit!" Jack swore, raising his P-90.

"Wait!" Sam yelled and pulled her zat from its holster. She fired immediately, and Wells stopped screaming and fell to the ground.

The others approached slowly. "God, what is that thing?" asked Clark, barely restrained panic evident in her voice.

Sam knelt next to the unconscious Wells. The creature was covering his face, its long appendages wrapped around the back of his head, holding it in place. Sam touched it with the muzzle of her P-90. It reminded her of some sort of sea creature, like an octopus, maybe. It oozed a viscous substance.

By then, the rest of their party had joined them, Wells' screams having drawn them from the entrance to the cave. Jack turned to Teal'c. "Have you ever seen anything like this before, T?"

"I have not O'Neill. But it would seem prudent to attempt to remove the creature from Airman Wells' face."

Balinsky joined Sam, kneeling on the other side of Wells. Sam opened her pack and tossed him some gloves. As their respective team's field medics, it fell to them to try to assist.

"Is it alive?" Balinsky asked.

Sam prodded the creature tentatively and got no response. "I think it's unconscious. If we're going to do this thing, we should do it now."

Balinsky nodded at Sam and together they attempted to remove the creature from Wells face. It proved more difficult than they expected. First, they pulled its tentacles off of the back of his head, one at a time. Then both reached under its main body and wriggled their fingers between the creature and Wells' face to try to pry it loose. Sam wrinkled her nose at the smell the thing was emitting.

"Easy, Carter," Jack warned. He did not like his Major so close to what was clearly a very dangerous and unpredictable creature.

"Got it!" Sam exclaimed, as the creature finally came loose, strands of the sticky substance clinging to Wells' face as she pulled it away. But as she stood with the creature in hand, she noticed that a long proboscis was lodged in Wells' throat. Balinsky began pulling it out.

The proboscis finally came free with a loud pop. Instantly, the creature let out terrible screech and twisted in Sam's grip, apparently in an effort to attach itself to her. In a panic, she flung it to the ground, but it immediately propelled itself back toward her face.

Clark screamed, and Sam was frozen in horror as the proboscis stretched toward her slightly opened mouth.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Out of nowhere, the sound of a P-90 erupted, and Sam watched as the creature hurling toward her was torn to shreds right in front of her face. She turned, still breathing hard, and saw Jack lowering his weapon, a look of sheer determination on his face.

"Thank you, sir," she said to him, still breathless and her heart racing.

"Don't mention it." He was trying for nonchalance, but he wasn't sure he completely pulled it off. There was no way in hell he was going to let that thing attack his Sam. Er, his Major, he silently corrected himself. He turned toward the downed soldier. "How's Wells?"

"Coming 'round," replied Dixon, who was kneeling next to the young man. "Hey, Wells." He patted his cheek, which surprisingly bore only a few red marks as a result of his ordeal. "You okay?"

Wells' eyes began fluttering. Without warning, he sat straight up and began screaming and clawing at his face. Dixon grabbed him by both shoulders. "Hey! Get a grip, Wells! You're fine." He patted him on the shoulder as he began to calm. "You're gonna be just fine."

"Wha...what happened?" the stunned man asked.

"Apparently, you tried to make out with one of the locals," Dixon quipped. "Didn't work out too well, at least not for her, or um, it." He gave Wells a once over. "Can you walk? I think we'd all like to get out of here about now."

"You can say that again," muttered Daniel.

Wells stood, and both teams gladly exited the cave. "No more sightseeing, kids," Jack said over his shoulder as he made his way back to the main path. "Let's find the source of that signal and get home. I don't like this place one bit."

Both teams began trudging in the same direction as before, Wells shaky but apparently none the worse for wear. They walked in silence for another half hour, until they rounded a large rock, and Dixon let out a low whistle. "Would ya look at that," he muttered.

Before them was a huge spaceship, crashed and completely abandoned. It was clunky and dark and unlike anything they'd ever seen before - or so Jack thought.

"I am not familiar with the design of this ship," said Teal'c. All but Sam nodded in agreement.

Jack was watching her, as was his habit, and noticed her hesitation. "Carter?"

"I don't recognize it, either, sir. It's certainly not one of the ships in our database. But something about it seems familiar to me." She looked at her sensor and shook her head. "In any case, the signal is coming from somewhere inside."

"Of course it is," muttered Jack. He faced the group. "Alright, we're going in. Everyone keep an eye out for flying octopi and other distractions." He turned and pointed at the young airman. "And no smooching the wildlife, Wells."

"Yes, sir," Wells replied, blushing.

The group began walking around the outside of the ship, looking for an entrance point. About halfway around, they located a hatch, open but completely dark. Jack raised his eyebrows, then walked up the ramp, shining the light on his P-90 into the body of the ship.

Dixon followed, along with the rest of the group. "This is messed up," he mumbled to himself.

Once again, Sam led, sensor in hand, as the others lit the way. The ship was even darker on the inside, with open grating and exposed cables both above and below their walkway. The deeper they moved inside the ship, the more uneasy Sam felt.

Suddenly, the walkway opened up into a much larger room. The light from their P-90s reflected off of a row of metal doors, and long tables ringed the room. It was difficult to tell in the dark, but Sam got the impression that the space might be a galley of some sort.

"Uh, I think I need to take a break," Wells said. "I don't feel so great." Several lights were immediately directed toward Wells' face. He did not look good. His skin was clammy, with a greenish pallor, and Sam noticed that the hand he held up to shield his eyes was shaking. Balinsky approached the young airman and began rummaging in his pack for a thermometer.

Dixon looked at Jack. "We'll stay here with him."

"All right," Jack replied. He tilted his head toward SG-1. "We'll go find the signal. Once we've got it disabled we'll head back here. Radio if anything unusual happens."

Dixon gave him a lazy salute, and the team struck out again in the general direction of the signal.

"Do you think it wise to leave SG-13 behind, O'Neill?" asked Teal'c.

Jack sighed. "Probably not. But I don't have time to sit around playing nursemaid to Airman Wells. The sooner we disable the signal and get out of here, the better."

The four members of SG-1 continued through the dark corridors of the ship in search of the source of the signal, the light from Jack's P-90 swinging in an arc before them. Just as the signal strength reached its peak, the hallway once again opened up into a larger room. Unlike the other space, this appeared to be a control room of sorts, with large consoles lining one side. A few lights flickered on the display. Sam crossed the room and immediately set to work. She looked up within a matter of minutes.

"Found it!" she exclaimed, as she hit a button. A digitized voice could now be heard within the room, as unfamiliar as the text that streamed across the display. After a few moments, the message repeated. "It seems to be some sort of encrypted message, but I'm having trouble decoding it. Daniel, can you give me a hand?"

Jack spun around. "I don't really care what the message is. If it's interfering with the 'gate, I just want it turned off."

Daniel had already moved to Sam's side and was studying the text carefully. "Aren't you the least bit curious to know what it says?" he asked, his eyes glued to the display.

"Not really, no," Jack responded. He addressed Sam. "Can you turn it off?"

"I think so, sir. But it might make sense to take a stab at translating it first, if Daniel can do so quickly." She shrugged. "It's probably just a distress signal, but it can't hurt to find out."

Outnumbered by the science twins again, Jack thought. "You have five minutes, Daniel. Then I'm shutting it down."

The archeologist nodded, and he and Sam turned back to the display. Jack joined Teal'c, who was studying the wall on the other side of the room.

"Whatcha got, T?"

The Jaffa was examining the wall carefully. In the dim light of the control room, he could just see that it was lined with several glass doors. "These appear to be chambers, O'Neill. I believe they are intended to house humanoids, possibly for the purpose of inducing a cryogenic sleep, similar to the ship we found on P2A-347."

"Oh, let's hope not," muttered Daniel.

"That makes sense, sir," added Sam. "Whoever these aliens are, it doesn't look like they have hyperdrive capabilities. Traveling across the galaxy in a ship like this would have taken several years."

Jack swept his light slowly across the glass doors of the chambers. Just as he was nearing the end of the row, the hazy outline of a face sprang into view. "Whoa! Looks like some of these are occupied." Jack continued looking down the row and discovered that the adjacent chamber also had a body inside. As his light swept downward, he realized something was wrong. He put his face up close to the glass door and squinted. "Wait a minute..."

"Oh, boy," said Daniel at the same time. He turned toward Jack who was still trying to make out what was in the chamber. "Jack, we've got a problem."

"What?" he demanded.

He licked his lips. "Well, if I've got this translation right, this isn't a distress signal; it's a warning – to stay away."

At that exact moment, Teal'c discovered the mechanism that opened the chambers. With a whoosh, the doors rose upwards, and suddenly Jack was staring at the ruined body of humanoid figure, its entire mid-section eviscerated. Dried blood covered the body, its decaying face contorted in a scream of terror and its entrails falling out of its abdomen and hanging toward the floor. With the doors now open, the body began to fall toward him.

"Shit!" Jack yelled, as he jumped backwards. The body in front of him fell to the floor, and a moment later, the second body in the adjoining chamber, similarly eviscerated, did the same. "What the hell?"

The sound of gunfire erupted suddenly from the other side of the ship. Jack grabbed his radio. "Dixon! Report!"

More gunfire sounded before Jack's radio crackled to life. "Jack! Something just exploded from Wells' chest and attacked Major Clark. Holy crap!"

The radio went dead, and another round of gunfire erupted on the other side of the ship. The four members of SG-1 stared at each other in horror.

"Dixon, what's your status? Dixon!" Jack yelled, but the radio remained silent. No further gunfire could be heard.

Jack turned toward his team. "Okay, that's it. Shut it down, Carter. We're getting the hell out of here."

"Yes, sir," she replied. She punched a button, and the digitized message stopped. "That's it. It's off."

"All right. Follow me, and stay sharp. Weapons at the ready. I have no idea what SG-13 encountered or what happened to the people on this ship, but something tells me it's not good."

They began jogging back toward the galley, Jack taking point and Teal'c bringing up the rear.

Sam's heart was pounding, and she tapped down hard on her slowly rising panic. What had become of SG-13? Could the same thing that happened to the people in the chambers have happened to Airman Wells? And why couldn't she shake the feeling that she had been here before?

The team rounded the last corner outside of the galley, and Jack gave the signal to halt. In the sudden silence, Sam heard a skittering noise coming from above. Jack's light went immediately to the open ceiling, but there was nothing there.

He whispered in a voice that was much calmer than he felt. "We're being followed."

"I believe it would be more accurate to say we are being hunted, O'Neill," replied the Jaffa.

"Thanks, Teal'c. I feel better now," Daniel added, in a low voice.

Jack looked at his team. "Teal'c, Daniel, you guard our sixes. Carter and I are going in to see if we can find SG-13."

Sam nodded, and she followed Jack inside of the galley. Their lights swept the room, and a chill went down Sam's spine at the sight of multiple blood spatters on the walls. When her light fell across the tables, she gasped. "Oh my god," she whispered.

Being in the military and on a front line team, Sam was not unaccustomed to violent death. But nothing could prepare her for what she saw.

Airman Wells was sprawled across one of the metal tables, his mouth slack and his eyes glazed. Like the bodies in the sleep chambers, a giant hole had been torn into his abdomen - seemingly from the inside out.

"Sir…," she began, her voice quivering.

"I see it, Carter." Even his normally calm demeanor was shaken.

He crossed the room, now sweeping the floor with his light, and suddenly stopped short. "God damn it," he muttered, looking down between the tables.

"What is it?" asked Sam, though she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Stay there!" he yelled, and he held up his hand to halt her. She stopped short. "Don't come over here."

"Sir?"

"It's Balinsky and Clark….They're dead." Even in the dark, she could tell his face was ashen. He raised his radio to his mouth. "Dixon, come in….Dixon, do you copy?" There was no response.

"Come on." He began moving toward the exit and gestured for her to follow.

"Jack!" Daniel exclaimed when they walked out of the galley. "We could hear you calling on Dixon's radio."

"Where?" he demanded.

The archeologist pointed further down the hallway, and Jack led the group in that direction, occasionally attempting to raise Dixon on his radio and following the sound to its location. After several twists and turns, they finally saw the device lying in the middle of a long hallway.

The four teammates shined their lights up and down while they moved cautiously toward the radio. Once there, Jack bent down and picked it up. He ran his thumb over the face of the device. It came away wet and red.

"Do you hear something?" Daniel asked.

The team was quiet, and after a moment Sam thought she could make out the faint sound of something dripping behind her. She examined the floor and noticed for the first time a large puddle at her feet. The drops were coming from the ceiling.

Slowly she shined her light upwards. Without warning, something heavy and sticky fell down and swung right in front of her face. Startled, she let out a yelp and tried to back up, slipping in the puddle and landing on her six.

She looked up and saw the mangled form of Dave Dixon hanging from the ceiling, blood running in rivulets down his face and into the puddle in which she was now sitting. The others had apparently seen him as well, because she heard Daniel let out an anguished shout at the same time Jack swore.

"Oh, god," she cried and tried to stand, but she kept slipping in the blood. The panic that she had been suppressing earlier now bubbled to the surface. She began to flail, as she attempted to stand. "Oh, god," she said again. She thought she might be sick.

A strong arm grasped her around her middle and pulled her to a standing position. "Easy, Major," Jack whispered in her ear. He continued to hold her tightly for a moment, allowing her to regain her composure. She took a deep breath, drawing comfort from his strength. Just as she thought she had recovered, she heard the skittering sound again.

"What was that?" asked Daniel.

The noise continued, seemingly coming from all around them. The four spun around, looking for the source of the sound. Sam's heart threatened to fly out of her chest.

"I believe we should leave this place, O'Neill." Even the normally staid Jaffa sounded more than a little spooked.

Suddenly, from the darkness behind them, something let out a bone-chilling screech.

"Run!" shouted Jack.

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just promise me you'll keep reading until the end...

Sam bolted in the opposite direction of the screech, the rest of her team hot on her heels. They tore through the hallways, unsure of their direction, but unrelentingly pursed by the skittering noise, now coming from both above and below. Another screech sounded, closer this time, and Sam felt her stomach drop when she heard Daniel scream.

She spun around and brought up her P-90, ready to fire at whatever had attacked her friend. But Teal'c was already on it, spewing a barrage of bullets into the ceiling above the place Daniel was now hanging, limp and bleeding, his neck resting at an unnatural angle and his glasses dangling by one ear.

Without warning, a razor ridged tail shot out of the floor and speared Teal'c right through the chest. The Jaffa yelled in fury, and with his final breath, he emptied the last of his clip into the ceiling above him.

Sam stared, shocked and unable to move. No! This couldn't be happening! They couldn't be dead! But as she watched, two creatures, dark and horrible, with elongated heads and knife-like claws, slowly emerged and began to feed on their fallen teammates. Sam sat stunned and horrified, unable to look away and trying to reconcile the scene before her with a reality she knew couldn't possibly include these creatures.

Before she could process the situation any further, though, Jack grabbed her by the arm, and they turned and ran down the walkway. They fled through the maze of passageways for several long minutes, letting bullets fly freely toward the faintest indication of movement. All too soon, Jack's weapon was spent. Within moments, Sam had also exhausted all of her ammo. The two officers cast their guns aside and took off at a dead run toward what they believed was the hatch of the ship.

Jack stopped abruptly. They had somehow found themselves back at the ship's control room, but the skittering noise was now coming from some point ahead of them - and it was moving closer. Sam's stomach clenched as she realized they were cut off from the exit of the ship and completely defenseless.

Without hesitation, Jack pulled Sam inside the control room and hit a button to the right of the entrance. With a whoosh, a metal door sealed them inside. Taking her zat from its holster, he shot at the door's control panel, and it exploded in a burst of sparks. He looked through the window in the door, then pulled Sam toward him into a corner of the room that was out of sight of the entrance.

She began trembling, the implications of what had just happened finally hitting her full force. Jack wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly to his chest, one hand on her back, the other in her hair. Sam clung to him, desperate for his warmth, and his touch. She was numb, physically and mentally, and the sensation of his body pressed to hers was the only thing keeping her tethered.

"Sir?" she whispered, though she didn't know what she was asking him.

"It's going to be okay, Sam, I promise," he replied directly in her ear. She knew it was a lie, but whether he was saying it for her benefit or his own, she couldn't be sure. After a moment, he pulled her even closer. "They're coming," he whispered.

Sam could hear the all too familiar skittering sounds just over the thudding of Jack's heart. She held her breath, certain the door to the control room would be wrenched open at any moment. She closed her eyes in preparation for the inevitable screech.

One full minute passed, then another, and still nothing happened. The sounds of the creatures in the hallway began to fade, and Sam felt Jack relax ever so slightly, though he didn't release his hold on her. As her fear began to dissipate somewhat, she became increasingly aware of how intimately her body was pressed to his, how his hand had moved from the back of her head to cup her face, and how his lips were now hovering just above hers.

They stood like that for several seconds, Jack's thumb absently stroking Sam's cheek. Her hands found their way to his abdomen, one moving up to caress the firm chest beneath her palm and ultimately coming to rest on his broad shoulder. He looked in her eyes, and Sam knew the same fear, regret, and love were reflected in her own.

They both understood that they were crossing the invisible line that kept them on the right side of military regulations, but such things seemed trivial now in light of all that had happened. Jack quickly closed the remaining distance between them, and Sam's fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, as his lips met hers.

The kiss began slowly but rapidly progressed to something much more heated. Jack moaned her name, as his mouth moved to her jawline and down the side of her neck. Sam had just breathed his name in reply when his lips found hers again, the contact much more intense than before. Desire flared white hot in her core.

Without warning, the window in the door to the control room shattered and a loud screech sounded throughout the room, causing the two officers to jump apart. Something threw itself against the door, which buckled under the assault.

Jack looked at Sam. "The chambers. Go!"

They both ran to the other side of the room, and Sam situated herself inside of one of the open compartments. By now, at least three creatures were throwing themselves at the metal door, which was rapidly showing signs of fatigue.

"You think this will protect us?" Sam asked, desperation lacing her voice.

Jack pressed her zat into her hands. "If it doesn't, use this."

"What about you?"

He gave her a look full of meaning, one she had seen before, from the other side of a force field. One she had seen when she had known he would die for her.

"Jack..." she sobbed.

The door broke open, almost wide enough for the creatures to get inside.

"In you go, Major," he commanded. But his voice belied his feelings. He hit a button, and a glass partition rose between them, sealing her inside. She raised her hand to the glass, and he briefly touched his fingers to hers before climbing inside the adjoining chamber.

The moment the partition enclosed Jack, the door to the control room burst open, and three gruesome creatures entered the space, their long, barbed tails swinging behind them. Sam tried to be as still as possible, but it took no time for the the beings to realize that their prey was trapped in the units.

Sam began hyperventilating, as one of the creatures pressed its face up against the glass partition of her chamber. The thing opened its mouth and screeched right in front of her, and she closed her eyes and let out a whimper. When she opened them again, she saw that a second, smaller mouth had emerged from the first. It was a terrifying sight. She grasped her zat harder and closed her eyes again.

Somewhere, in the back of what was left of her rational mind, it occurred to her that she had seen these creatures before. At the same time, though, she knew they didn't exist. How could that be? But the thought was quickly pushed to the side as, slowly, the door to her chamber began to open.

Sam's heart raced as she raised a shaking hand and aimed her zat at the alien. The moment her hand was free, she fired. The creature screeched again but didn't stop moving. She fired, over and over, but the weapon seemingly had no effect.

Waves of terror washed over her, as she felt the alien's claws wrap tightly around her chest and waist. She tried to struggle, to move away, but the chamber that she had hoped would be her salvation was now a death trap. Panic shot through her, and she began to thrash as much as the creature's grip would allow. She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.

Then, through a fog of fear, she unexpectedly heard people calling her name.

"Major Carter! Stay still!" Janet, her addled brain registered. She paused. That couldn't be right. How did she get here? What was happening to her? "Sam, please," Janet pleaded again.

Sam stilled completely and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the tiny doctor, removing something from her head. Janet backed up and looked at her. "Oh, thank god," she said when she saw Sam staring at her. "Get the rest of these restraints off of her," she told the technician at her side. She turned to look at something to Sam's right. "How's the Colonel?"

"He's coming out of it, mam," someone replied. Sam looked past Janet and gasped when she saw Daniel and Teal'c standing behind her, very much alive with a look of grave concern on both their faces. Beyond him, General Hammond stood at stern attention, with a sheepish Bill Lee at his side.

"What happened?" she murmured. She could see now that she was encased in some type of black metal contraption but clearly inside the SGC, rather than an alien spaceship on a distant planet.

Janet turned back to face her. "You don't remember?" she asked, her brow furrowed. At Sam's confused look, she continued. "You and the Colonel agreed to test the Gamekeeper's virtual reality pods. Dr. Lee wanted to see if they could be adapted for training purposes."

Now freed from her restraints, Sam stepped out of the contraption and turned to face Jack, who was still in the pod, a confused look on his face.

Instantly, it all came back to her. Bill Lee had been studying the pods and had theorized they could be used for training new recruits to the SGC. Sam had been intrigued and instantly agreed to participate in the test. Jack had not been pleased with the idea but insisted that he be the second test subject, citing the fact that he had prior experience with the pods, as well as military training. Dr. Lee had hoped to draw on the experiences of the SG teams to develop the simulations.

Sam closed her eyes. Of course! Last night had been Halloween, and the team had gathered at Jack's house to celebrate...

By now, Jack was free of the chair, and she could tell that he was remembering, too. Dr. Lee rushed forward and began peppering them with questions. "So did they work? Did you share a virtual reality? We attempted to translate your experience on the video monitors, but we couldn't completely tell what was happening."

Sam flushed, recalling what had transpired in the control room. Clearly thinking the same thing, Jack shot her a sideways look and asked, "How much could you see?"

Dr. Lee sighed and shook his head. "Actually, not much of anything. The video interface didn't work out nearly as well as we hoped. That's going to need some fine tuning." He shrugged. "Mostly, we just monitored your vitals."

Janet interrupted. "Yes, and there were many times I was very concerned, Colonel. Your heart rates spiked on several occasions and you were running on so much adrenaline, I was afraid your hearts might stop." Janet pointed to a graph on the monitor. "Most of your reactions were clearly the result of the fight or flight response, but strangely enough here," she pointed to a blue line, "just a few minutes before you exited the virtual reality, you both experienced a spike in dopamine levels." She turned to face the two of them. "Do you remember what happened?"

Sam and Jack looked at each other, and Sam felt her cheeks flush. Fortunately, they were saved by General Hammond. "This was clearly a more dangerous test than we first believed. I think we should give Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter a chance to fully recuperate. We can debrief after they've rested and been cleared by your staff, Dr. Fraiser."

Jack let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir." Hammond shot him a suspicious look, knowing Jack typically tried to avoid the infirmary at all costs.

As Janet began leading them toward the medical floor, Dr. Lee rushed up behind them, his excitement palpable. "Colonel, Major, can you just give me a quick opinion? Any thoughts that immediately spring to mind?"

Jack stopped and glared at the scientist. He looked at Sam for a long time and then began walking toward Dr. Lee. Sam held her breath as, for just a moment, she thought Jack might strike him. By the look on Bill Lee's face, he thought the same thing. Instead, Jack just pointed at him with his index finger mere inches from his face.

"Yeah," he replied. "The next time you scientists want test subjects for your little experiments, you can use yourselves." He spun around and began walking toward the infirmary again, his finger still in the air. "And no more horror movies on team night!"

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed my little homage to the greatest sci-fi/horror movie of all time. :)


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